Family Violence, Sexual Violence and Violence within Wha-nau: WORKFORCE CAPABILITY FRAMEWORK

JUNE 2017

SNAPSHOT

Aotearoa New Zealand has one of the highest reported rates of family violence and sexual violence in the developed world.

The Government is committed to establishing and providing an integrated, consistent and effective response to victims, perpetrators, their families and whānau.

THE WORKFORCE CAPABILITY FRAMEWORK

The Framework’s purpose is to build workforce and community sector capability to respond safely and respectfully to people experiencing, affected by, and perpetrating violence.

This is the result of 12 month’s research, engagement and consultation led by an Expert Design Group representative of our country’s diverse communities.

The Workforce is large and complex.It includes government agencies, family violence and sexual violence professionals, practitioners, organisations and volunteers. There is a wide range of different practices and understandings, resulting in varying degrees of effectiveness in outcomes.

The vision is to have a workforce that:

Has a common understanding and is enabled to provide a consistent, effective

and integrated response to victims, perpetrators, their

families and whānau.

Has appropriate cultural

knowledge, practice,

strategies and alliances.

Can respond safely and

respectfully.

Takes collective

responsibility to maximise

the safety and support of

victims.

Has shared practice

principles that support people

to work together safely.

FRAMEWORK

DOMAIN 1

Understanding people’s experiences of family violence, sexual violence and violence within whānau

OVERVIEW

How people and practitioners understand family violence, sexual violence and violence within whānau (victimisation and/or perpetration) frames their responses. Understanding people’s experiences (individual and collective) of violence and structural inequities is a prerequisite for safe practice.

DOMAIN 2

Upholding the dignity, values and beliefs of people and their diverse cultural identities

OVERVIEW

People and practitioners have appropriate knowledge of cultural and other diversities to ensure practice, strategies and alliances support all victims of family violence, sexual violence and violence within whānau.

DOMAIN 3

Enabling disclosures and response to help-seeking

OVERVIEW

People and practitioners need to recognise victims’ help seeking and respond safely and respectfully. Many victims are proactive help seekers; the problem is often with people’s responses to their help seeking. Victims may also fear for their own and their children’s safety, feel ashamed and worry that people will not believe them.

When children are experiencing child abuse and neglect, they require adults to intervene to ensure their safety and wellbeing. It also recognises help seeking from those engaging in harm who wish to change.

DOMAIN 4

Using collective action to create safety for victims

OVERVIEW

The safety and wellbeing of victims (child and adult) is the collective responsibility of agencies, communities, whānau and families. People and practitioners work together to maximise safety and support for victims.

DOMAIN 5

Using collective action to sustain safe behaviours of perpetrators

OVERVIEW

Victims’ safety is dependent on responses to the people perpetrating violence. People and practitioners engage respectfully with perpetrators, support them to stop using violence, contain abusive behaviours and escalate consequences for continued abuse.

DOMAIN 6

Working as part of an integrated team

OVERVIEW

A shared understanding of and agreed practice principles that support practitioners and agencies to work together safely.

6

Ūkaipō

Rangatiratanga

Whanaungatanga

Aroha

Kaitiakitanga

Manaakitanga

Kotahitanga

5

1

2

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Spread over 6 domains, this describes the required knowledge, excellence benchmarks and requisite actions expected of the workforce, appropriate to their expertise and role.

THE

SETTING THE CONTEXT

Family violence

Family violence includes all forms of abuse between family members. The three main forms of family violence are child abuse and neglect, intimate partner violence and intrafamilial violence.

Sexual violence

Sexual violence includes sexual acts committed against someone without that person’s freely given consent and is generally perpetrated by men, mostly against women and children.

Violence within whānau

The causes of violence within whanau are a complex mix of historical and contemporary factors. The Framework acknowledges that whānau are important vehicles for healing and change.

OUR GUIDING PRINCIPLESAs New Zealanders, we

take pride in being inclusive

of all diversity, including

all cultures, ethnicities,

sexualities and genders.

The Framework’s

underpinning principles fit

the context of Aotearoa

New Zealand, and will enable

the workforce to transcend

cultural differences and build

relationships that extend

beyond the transactional.

THESE ARE >

THE LAST PRINCIPLE SUMS UP OUR WORKFORCE’S PURPOSE –

Kotahitanga

emphasises a collective whole-of-whānau approach. It refers to unity, being at peace, at one together and the collective good.

Ūkaipō(to recognise the origins of the voice and the story)

Rangatiratanga(your voice is heard)

Whanaungatanga(acknowledge the implications of your actions on your whānau)

Aroha(the voice of compassion and empathy)

Kaitiakitanga(the process will respect you as a whole person)

Manaakitanga(your story is acknowledged)

Kotahitanga(unity/together for collective good)